In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island’s highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

Now the son of one of the flag-raisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.

To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company.

Following these men’s paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific’s most crucial island—an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.

Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought in the winter of 1945 on a rocky island south of Japan, brought a ferocious slice of hell to earth: in a month's time, more than 22,000 Japanese soldiers would die defending a patch of ground a third the size of Manhattan, while nearly 26,000 Americans fell taking it from them. The battle was a turning point in the war in the Pacific, and it produced one of World War II's enduring images: a photograph of six soldiers raising an American flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point.

One of those young Americans was John Bradley, a Navy corpsman who a few days before had braved enemy mortar and machine-gun fire to administer first aid to a wounded Marine and then drag him to safety. For this act of heroism Bradley would receive the Navy Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.

Bradley, who died in 1994, never mentioned his feat to his family. Only after his death did Bradley's son James begin to piece together the facts of his father's heroism, which was but one of countless acts of sacrifice made by the young men who fought at Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers recounts the sometimes tragic life stories of the six men who raised the flag that February day--one an Arizona Indian who would die following an alcohol-soaked brawl, another a Kentucky hillbilly, still another a Pennsylvania steel-mill worker--and who became reluctant heroes in the bargain. A strongly felt and well-written entry in a spate of recent books on World War II, Flags gives a you-are-there depiction of that conflict's horrible arenas--and a moving homage to the men whom fate brought there. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Say "Iwo Jima," and what comes to mind? Most likely a famous photograph from 1945: six tired, helmeted Marines, fresh from a long, terrifying and bloody battle, work together to raise the American flag on Mount Suribachi. Bradley's father, John, was one of the six. In this voluminous and memorable work of popular history mixed with memoir, Bradley and Powers (White Town Drowsing) reconstruct those Marines' experiences, and those of their Pacific Theater comrades. The authors begin with the six soldiers' childhoods. Soon enough, bombs have fallen on Pearl Harbor, and by May '43 the young men have become proud leathernecks. Bradley and Powers incorporate accounts of specific battles, like "Hellzapoppin Ridge" (Bougainville, December '43), and pull in corps life and lore, from the tough-minded to the slightly silly, from mandatory penis inspections (medics checking for VD) to life in the pitch-dark of "Tent City No. 1." And they cover the strategy and tactics leading up to the awful battle for the islandAthe navy's disputed plans for offshore bombardment, cut at the last minute from 10 days to three; the 16 miles of Japanese underground tunnels, far more than Allied intelligence expected. A quarter of the book follows the fighting on Iwo Jima, sortie by sortie. The final chapters pursue the veterans' subsequent lives: Bradley and Powers set themselves against often-sanctimonious tradition, retrieving the stories of six more or less troubled individuals from the anonymity of heroic myth. A simple thesis emerges from all the detail worked into this touching group portrait, in a comment by John Bradley: "The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn't come back." No reader will forget the lesson. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bantam; Rei edition (October 2, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 055338029X
ISBN-13: 978-0553380293
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 1,011 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,613,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3643 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > World War II
- #14546 in Books > History > Military > World War II
- #16642 in Books > History > Military > United States

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Flags of Our Fathers

ByP. Horneron August 5, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent account of the history of one of the most famous photographs of all time as well as a detailed look into the lives of those involved including the historic battle for Iwo Jima. If you enjoy World War Two history, you won't be disappointed.

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A pulitzer prize winning story

ByJames A. Husingon July 21, 2000

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I bought this book at the airport in Dayton, Ohio on the way home from attending the reunion of my army unit that I was in Vietnam with in 1966. Flags of Our Fathers is a spell binding page turner that I couldn't put down. Many of the stories about the combat and terror endured by those marines on Iwo Jima brought tears to my eyes. The history of the six flag raisers is very well written and very interesting. Over a quarter of the Medal of Honors received by the marines during WWII were received during the 36 days of fighting on Iwo Jima. It was the largest and longest sustained battle of WWII.
The authors did a fabulous job of story telling. I agree with Stephen Ambrose in his saying that it was the best combat book he ever read. It is the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It has everything, hero's, villans, sadness, tragedy, excitement, happiness. Every human emotion from one end of the spectrum to the other will be experienced by reading this book.
On Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common occurence among those marines who fought there, many of whom died there. This book is a must read and it makes me more appreciative of the liberties I enjoy today because of those marines and all of the combat veterans of WWII. I saw extensive combat for a year with the army in Vietnam, but it pales in comparison to what those marines endured for 36 days in Feb 1945.
Jim Husing Vietnam Veteran

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Hard to read without weeping.

ByAmazon Customeron April 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author doesn't hold back anything about this horrific battle. He brings the reader along on a hunt for clues to the iconic flag raising photo's soldiers. A complete telling of the lives of the six soldiers involved gives great depth to this tragic and triumphant story.

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Flags of Our Father Review

Bymichaelaippasoon March 3, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Flags of our fathers was an insightful book following the six men who raised the American flag at Iwo Jima. Bladley follows each of the men on their journeys up to the time of the flag raising Bradley wrote flags of our fathers as his father James Bradley was one of the six men to raise the American flag on that heroic mountain. James never talks about his time on Iwo Jima when John is a child which leads him to becoming curious, and writing this book. It is through these boys lives that we realize truly what these boys went through to fight for their country and what it means to be a hero.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There were so many inspirational parts, that made you really appreciate those brave men and women who fight for our country. Bradley did a great job at creating a personal connection with the reader, and this was a personal story to him. Bradley's book is interesting, with few dull parts. It is exciting and will keep you wanting to read more. There really are no cons to this book, i would defiantly recommend it to all who are interested in Americas was with Japan.

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Wow. I really had no idea...

ByR. V. Downingon October 3, 2010

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Simply put, "Flags of our Fathers" is one of the most powerful and moving books I've read in a very long time. I very much wish that it was required reading for every American and certainly for anyone even remotely involved with the decision to go to war.

FOOF truly captures the tragedy of war. The pageantry and iconography surrounding the flag-raising at Iwo Jima makes it all too easy to see the sacrifices of war as some nameless demigods descended to Earth for a higher purpose. FOOF is so gripping in that it portrays the Flagraisers and Marines on Iwo Jima just as they were: human. It is absolutely mind blowing to consider the horrific and extraordinary circumstances these average boys were put to. I stopped and cried several times as I read of the atrocious death and suffering of 18, 17, and even 15 year olds on the beaches of Iwo.

Not only does this book give a chilling account of the world at war, a thought a 27 year old like myself could never truly comprehend, it also paints an equally powerful picture of America of yesteryear. Even as a veteran myself, I was absolutely astonished at the level of patriotism exhibited by boys doing whatever they could to join the war effort. It was also very hard to imagine America as focused and united toward a common goal as we were during this period of history.

I can honestly say I have no major critiques of the book. Although I initially thought the book was a bit lengthy (I'm not even sure of the final count as I read the Kindle version), after seeing the considerably edited feature film version I instantly knew that the book was absolutely right to tell every single detail that it did. I am certainly not a "history buff" (which is partly why I was so surprised I liked the book so much) so I don't feel qualified to speak on historical accuracy.

In conclusion, I think FOOF is a well-written account of shattered innocence and stark reminder of some of the most brutal destruction mankind has ever known. Many of us pay lip service gratitude to those who have paid such a high price, but it's impossible to even approach sincerity without reading an account like "Flags of our Fathers."

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More personal than mitary.

ByTheGreatJonon December 24, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book is a great review of the battle for Iwo Jima. However, a large part of the book is dedicated to the personal backgrounds, feelings, and families of the six flag raisers. There are a lot of interesting and salient details in those personal depictions, but I was in it for the military and social history. The personal details are really the focus of this book. If that's you're cup of tea, it's probably a 5 star book. For me it was 3.5 which I rounded up for this review.

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Most recent customer reviews

Incredible Research

This book showed how awful war is and how it affected the veterans. It made me, a Vietnam vet, cry.Read more

Published 9 days ago by CliffAnderson

The novel is developed very well, starting with the stories of the boys who raised the famous flag. The detail in the battle and all the surrounding soldiers is well told. This is a very good book, one that I recommend, and one that I would read again.

It is the story of real men who didn't want to be remembered as heros, as John Bradley defined it. But John was and made a difference.

Published 11 days ago by Linda

Five Stars

Great read

Published 12 days ago by Kindle Customer

i was disappointed to find out that John Bradley was not one ...

I read it because it was a book club selection. I felt the first part was rather plodding as he tried to identify the flag raisers.Read more

Published 21 days ago by Sylvia Jutila

Better start this book when you have time to read ...

Better start this book when you have time to read it straight through. Once started, you won't be able to put it down.

Published 1 month ago by GI Joe

I don't even know where to start to comment about ...

I don't even know where to start to comment about this heart breaking patriotic book. I sat here starring at my computer with vivid images of the horrendous war that was lived in...Read more

Published 1 month ago by Indira Cruz

An actual account of heroism, tragedy, and honor!

Thank you James Bradley for sharing your father's story of the raising of the flag on Mount Surabachi in 1945 at Iwo Jima.

Published 1 month ago by paul ange

Since I like history, I decided to read it

This book was referred to me at a management training. The teacher quoted one of the lines in the book.
Since I like history, I decided to read it. It was a good read.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Barbara Vignola

CONFRONTING WAR'S DEMONS; SIX MEN FACE THE TEST OF HISTORY.

They were six boys from different areas of the country - Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania. They were five Marines and a Navy corpsman.Read more

Published 2 months ago by M.A. De Neve

Five Stars

great

Published 2 months ago by toms

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